AIRTEL, FoSLYN take teenage pregnancy fight to schools

AIRTEL, FoSLYN take teenage pregnancy fight to schools

With funds from one of Sierra Leone leading telecommunications companies, Airtel, Forum of Sierra Leone Youth Network (FoSLYN) over the weekend held a two-day symposium and inter-school quiz competition for various senior secondary schools in Freetown at the Civil Society hall, Special Court of Sierra Leone. The event was held on the theme: “Campaign on the reduction of teenage pregnancy in Senior Secondary Schools.”

In his exposition he stressed that FoSLYN is dealing with the strengthening of advocacy skills and debating skills of students. He admonished the female students to be well mannered and cultured at all times and to ensure that engage their colleague pupils to abstain from early sex.

Representing the event funder, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) at Airtel, Madam June-Rose Johnson thanked FoSLYN for organizing such a very worthy event targeting school going pupils.

She said such are the programs Airtel will always be proud to sponsor and physically associate itself with.
According to Madam Johnson, Airtel is not only in Sierra Leone to make profit but also generously give back to the people of this country from the company’s profit.

She said giving support to education, women and children has been part of the DNA of Airtel, whiles encouraged FoSLYN not to relent in building up young people especially the women who are mostly vulnerable in crisis situations.

She recounted on the various support Airtel has been giving to communities across the country which she said includes, building schools, water wells and health facilities among other things. She revealed further that Airtel has been tirelessly working with Sierra Leone’s First Lady Office on teenage pregnancy and in promoting women and children’s health countrywide.

She said the event is an eye opener and expressed satisfaction that it cuts across age, sex, tribes and religion. She called on the pupils to replicate as exercise, what they have learnt from the event to their colleague pupils and family and friends at their respective homes.

Various schools were represented at the occasion including the Saint Edwards, the Prince of Wales school, Freetown Secondary School for Girls, Albert Academy, Sierra Leone Grammar School, Ahmadiyya Secondary School and the Annie Walsh Memorial School among others.

Various thoughts were orally battled upon which saw either rebuttals or affirmations of the topics being debated.